The Really Secret World of Alex Mack
by Malaki
Summary: Annie Mack must find out why her sister Alex is keeping secrets from her related to her horrible experience with the GC Divide chemical compound.
1. Default Chapter

**The Really Secret World of Alex Mack **

_**Note from the author: **I should mention some backstory elements for those not extremely familiar with the TV show. This fanfic is based on the episode "**The Other Side **(part 1 2)" where the character Annie Mack accidentally drops a chemical called GC Divide on her sister Alex. The chemical then splits Alex into two incarnations - one good, the other, evil. The evil Alex wreaks havoc on Paradise Valley, leaving Annie and friend Ray to clean up the mess. In the cliffhanger of the first episode, the evil Alex traps the good Alex in a construction site, where she almost gets killed when a building at the site is violently demolished using explosives. Later on, the evil twin traps the good Alex inside some pluming pipes at the Mack household in order to suffocate her. Another source for this fanfic is the episode "**The Journal**". In that episode, Alex keeps a journal where she keeps track on how she uses her super-powers. Alex loses the journal and it almost ends up in the hands of Vince, who works for Ms. Atron (the top baddie of the tv series). And yet another source is the episode named "**The Creeper**", where Alex gets embarrassed in front of the entire class, by a secret admirer. Among many, many other episodes from the show. BTW, "**Alex Mack**" and "**The Secret World of Alex Mack**" are trademarks of Nickelodeon, MTV Networks, and Viacom International Inc._

_** Chapter I: The Journal's Secret  
**_

Annie sits down to read the journal that Alex is writing concerning her everyday experiences with her GC-161 powers. They had previously agreed that Alex would write it independently from her regular diary. The GC-161 journal was supposed to be strictly about science. Nothing more. One recent post in the diary had to do with Alex's 'unique' experience with the GC- Divide chemical compound that was still undergoing testing in the plant. This compound had previously shown the ability to split a small amount of GC-161 into two equal parts.

The chemical was introduced into the Mack household by Alex's dad who along with Annie was conducting research experiments in the garage lab.

Alex herself was exposed to the chemical thanks to Annie, who accidentally spilled some amount of the compound on her while she was in her morphed translucent form.

Immediately on contact, the said chemical divided Alex into two incarnations - one good, the other, evil. That strange reaction to the compound wasn't understood for what it was at first, but Annie later concluded that the chemical probably caused a division in Alex's psyche where her good side was literally separated from her darker side.

The evil twin of Alex was the personification of malice. She had no morals or compassion. Things got so bad that the clone even tried to kill the original Alex more than once. And while the real Alex was thought to be done for dead, the fake one was causing havoc all over town. Fortunately in the end, Alex and her evil twin did managed to merge themselves back again, and all life returned to normal after that.

Reading the GC-161 journal, Annie discovers that Alex actually does remember what her evil twin did now that they had become one all over again. The experiences of the evil Alex were now the experiences of the original Alex. The problem was that Alex didn't even mention in the journal anything in much detail about what she remembered.

Annie felt compelled to ask Alex about what her double did and how did she make use of her GC-161 powers while she was on a rampage around the neighbourhood and at home. So she placed the journal aside and makes her way downstairs where Alex sat eating breakfast.

"Alex. can I talk with you for a minute?"

"Sure!" Alex replied as she put aside her bowl of cereal.

Annie had a look around to make sure her parents weren't near by. Then she sat down closer to her sister.

"Alex, do you remember what you wrote on the journal about the little incident we had with the GC Divide compound?"

Alex eyes widened comically and she placed her hands over her face as she heard what her sister had said.

"Aww! How could I forget!"

"Well Alex, you said in the journal that you actually remember what your double did all the time she was separated from you. Why didn't you write what she did on the journal?"

Alex was looking at her through the fingers of her hands in silence.

"Alex? c'mon!" Annie pulled one of Alex's hands away from her face.

"It's important that you write what she did! I know that she was using her powers. I just want to know how she made use of them."

Alex spoke hesitantly.

"T-there is nothing to know Annie. She didn't do anything that you haven't seen me do before."

Annie was looking at her seriously. That made Alex even more nervous.

"Somehow I doubt that!" Annie said with an even more serious tone.

Alex got up from the table and took her bowl towards the sink.

"Well that's too bad, Annie. Because it happens to be the truth."

Annie also got up and she followed Alex to the sink where she was presently washing the bowl using her special powers.

"Well, I don't remember having seen you use your powers to... kill people!"

"What?" Alex suddenly lost control of the bowl and it crashed into the sink. She was obviously upset.

"I guess that I touched a nerve." Annie spoke softly as she walked over to look at the broken pieces of the cereal bowl now dispersed on the sink.

"I didn't, I mean 'she' didn't kill anybody!"

"Remember Ray? The double used her powers against him aggressively. Me included!"

"She didn't wanted to kill Ray or you!"

"It didn't look that way to us! And besides, she was determined in killing you! Remember?"

"What's the point of this argument? She is gone now! Forever!" Alex was yelling aloud now.

Annie came closer to her and grabbed her arms fiercely.

"let go of me, Annie!"

"Quiet! Listen to me Alex. I know you. I know that you're hiding something from me. That double was capable of anything! And she was out for most of the day doing terrible things to people. Ray has told me what she did to Robyn and also that she was causing trouble at school. But most of her time was spent on the streets. I want to know what she did during all that time she was on the loose."

Alex's face was glowing now. That usually meant that her emotions were out of control. Annie took that as a signal that she was on the right track. Alex was hiding something.

"Look at you. I can read you like a book! Why are you hiding things from me Alex?. Alex?"

Alex had morphed into a puddle and Annie suddenly realised that she was no longer holding her sister's arms with her hands.

"Alex! Come back here!" Annie screamed at her sister.

But Alex was already out of the house.

**Next chapter: A bond is rekindled! **_The Next Chapter is currently up! _


	2. The Really Secret World of Alex Mack Cha...

**The Really Secret World of Alex Mack (Chapter 2)**

_** Chapter II: A bond is rekindled...  
**_

The wind sweeps Annie's hair rudely across her face. The stiff breeze is tense and restless, like if it was signaling that a terrible storm was brewing somewhere in the horizon. To the brainy teenager, such a strange climate could be scientifically explained and not be mistaken to be a dark omen of things to come.

Somewhat annoyed, Annie brushes her hair aside with her fingers and tries hard to divert her gaze from the blazing sun burning unmercifully her focus. She needed it because her sister Alex could show up at any given moment.

It had been three days since they had had that argument about Alex's refusal to write down on the GC-161 journal all she knew about what her former evil twin did with her super powers. During those same three days, Alex had managed to avoid any verbal contact with her older sister.

Such attitude had only multiplied Annie's suspicions that something important was being kept secret from her. In addition, she was becoming very determined in getting Alex to come clean and confess at any cost.

As soon as she got home from her internship at the Plant, Annie stood in the front porch of the house gazing out toward the street. Specifically in the general direction where she figured Alex would appear.

She realised that stalking her sister in such a manner was an aggressive move. And taking aggressive moves could increase the danger of their parents becoming aware of their latest quarrel. She had to be careful.

Annie felt that it was very fortunate that everything had been carried out in a discreet manner so far. Alex was actually being helpful in keeping things below the parental radar.

For instance, Alex did not moved out of their room and taken refuge in the living room each night. Neither had she decided to take a self induce exile in the shed that was outside the house. Just as she had done the last time they had argued.

It was apparent to Annie that her sister did not wanted to cause mom and dad any unnecessary grief. And for that, Annie was thankful.

Nevertheless, Annie felt that it was very important that she could find out why Alex was keeping secrets from her. And how it was possible that those same secrets could so severely damage the bond that had always existed between them. She desperately needed to take drastic steps to uncover the truth. No matter what happened, she was going to get a complete confession from Alex.

Presently, Annie closes her eyes as the wind picks up once again. Blowing her hair hard against her face. Some strands of hair hit her face so fiercely that they actually felt like tiny whips. The pain made Annie decide to pull it back into a simple pony tail at the base of her neck.

As she was performing that hairy operation, she heard the sounds of footsteps coming nearby. She could also hear familiar voices coming from the same direction.

"It must be Alex!" She muttered to herself.

She made her way to the front sidewalk to take a better look. Her heartbeat suddenly increased as she walked. She played nervously with her hands as she tried to investigate the source of the noises she had heard.

It was Alex all right. Ray Alvarado, her best friend, accompanied her. They were walking rather lazily side by side, talking with each other as they walked. Ray was holding Alex's backpack in front of him with his arms.

Annie went forward to intercept them in their path, as she yelled out her sister's name.

"Alex!"

As soon as she heard her sister calling, Alex's face stiffened and she quickly turned around to walk in the opposite direction. She also grabbed one of Ray's arms and ordered him to follow her.

"C'mon, Ray!"

"Ouch! What the...? Al!" Whined Ray in protest. Nevertheless, he did as Alex demanded. He followed Alex while keeping a sharp eye on Annie, who had increased the momentum of her strides in an effort to catch up with them.

"Alex! Wait!" Annie shouted as she saw them walk away from her.

Alex was unfazed by her sister yelling out to her and she continued to walk even faster without looking back. Ray tried to keep up with Alex despite the fact he was carrying both his and Alex's backpack at the same time.

Annie then attempted to run toward them. It was a desperate act for sure. One that she failed to give much thought as she started to take off on an accelerated sprint.

But almost as soon as she started to run, she tripped and fell on her knees. She cried out in pain on the ground while cursing herself for her dismal agility that was practically legendary.

Alex became alarmed when she heard her sister's cries and she immediately stopped walking. She finally looked back and saw Annie sitting on the ground holding both her knees with her hands.

She then turned to face Ray who was now bending over trying to catch his breath.

"Ray... I'll see you later, 'kay?"

"S-sure Al...(gasping and whizzing)... whatever you say. I'm going home!" He did so after returning the backpack to her.

Alex then begun running toward Annie who was still on the ground, unable to get up due to the pain in her knees.

"You okay, Annie?" Chirped Alex to her sister as she was helping her get on her feet. Her voice was tuned up to sound extra cheerful despite the fact that she didn't exactly felt that way.

"Yeah, sure... Ouch!"

"It seems that you run pretty much the same way you drive a car... terribly!" Alex finished her comment with a soft giggle.

"Very funny!" snapped Annie rather coldly.

It was at that very moment that Annie did something that got Alex by surprise. She let herself go from Alex's grasp and she sat right back on the ground with her legs crossed in the familiar lotus position (familiar for those who practice yoga, that is).

"Annie! Get up!" Alex was not amused and she quickly grabbed her sister's arm to lift her up but Annie wasn't having any of it. She was staying grounded.

"Annie!" Alex was now pleading. But she no longer tried to help Annie to get up. She was just too heavy and there was no spicy curry in sight to give her some super-duper-strength.

"I'm not getting up until you give me some answers, Alex"

"Are you serious?" Alex countenance then changed from incredulity to passive anger. "I am not going to have THAT argument with you again, Annie".

Annie sighted and stared directly at her sister. The sun was now hiding behind a fluffy cloud and the wind became colder than before.

"I-I'm going home. You can stay there if you want" Alex was getting flustered by her sister's attitude.

"I will stay here" Was Annie's reply. Her voice barely audible.

"You'll get covered with ants in no time" she warned. "I can see some right now"

Annie pulled out a tootsie roll from her lab coat and placed it ceremoniously on the ground. "That should get those pesky ants away from me," she said with a dry grimace.

Alex made like she was leaving, but she stopped walking almost immediately. "Annie! This is not like you. This is so... so childish!"

"I know" Annie's stare was now pensive. Her eyes wide open but not really taking in anything at all. She then felt an ant crawling on her leg and she quickly dusted it away with one hand and looking down at it with a frown.

Her eyes were alive again and they returned to her sister's face as she said: "But losing my maturity is nothing compared to losing your trust".

Alex was silent. She then busted out laughing as she begun to notice that Annie kept dusting away ants from her clothes.

"What the!...did I sat on an ant hill?" Annie was alarmed. The ants were tiny yet numerous.

"They don't like tootsie rolls? Try some stoodles!" Alex was obviously trying to be funny.

"Apparently they find me a lot sweeter than candy" was Annie response. She quickly got up on her feet to finish cleaning herself from the insects.

"I find that hard to believe!"

"Must be because of the saccharin based formula we were working on at the Plant... Ew!...help me get them off!".

Alex was flicking away the ants that were crawling on Annie's backside. She was laughing out loud and pretty much having a ball. The ant hunt lasted but a few seconds.

"They sure ruined my dramatic moment with you" Annie said with an exaggerated frown and a curled up lower lip. She looked goofy like that.

"You were getting a bit dramatic. I almost shed a tear in desperate agony!"

"Tsk! Don't make fun of me or I'll give you one" Annie was smiling. Her hands were inside the pockets of her lab coat. Two other tootsie rolls were inside one of them. Perhaps the ants were seeking them out? Sheesh! they sure like to work hard for a living.

"Listen" Annie's smile quickly dissipated as she spoke. "It is very possible that this subject causes you some trauma and that you think that I'm being a bit insensitive..."

"Gosh, Annie. Don't be so damn intrusive! Respect my privacy!" Alex's face muscles had a very hard time changing her expression from joy back to passive anger. But she did managed to do it quite well.

But Annie could no longer see Alex's face. The sun had dissolved the fluffy cloud and it was shining just behind Alex's head. It looked like Alex was an angel or a saint from some old medieval painting.

Annie's eyes suddenly fell to the ground. Like if they could not bare to look into the angelic apparition before them. Instead, her eyes targeted a few ants presently storming the tootsie roll on the ground. The ants were fierce and merciless. Digging their fangs into the poor tootsie roll. Biting. Pulling at it.

It was then that Annie realised the irony of it all.

She was in a way... just like them. Just like... THEM!

"Alright, Alex. I will not pressure you anymore...SIGH...I-I will back down". Annie suddenly felt ill. "I'm sorry. Really, I am so sorry".

And as she was heading back to the house she turned and added, "Soon I'll be gone from your life and... and you'll be totally free".

Alex stood silent. Looking at the defeated and sad figure of her sister was a painful sight. Many things came to her mind at that very moment. All of them had to do with Annie. It was then that she realised that if she had to trust anybody in her life, it had to be Annie. For in a few weeks, she would be off to college. Time was running out for both of them.

"Annie! Wait!"

Yes, it was time... for the secret to be revealed.

**Next chapter: A Secret Revealed! **_The Next Chapter is currently up! Go read it!_


	3. The Really Secret World of Alex Mack Cha...

**The Really Secret World of Alex Mack (Chapter 3)**

_**Note from the author: **This chapter is very long (I've divided it in two parts) as it covers the entire "secret". I edited it and cut it down as much as I could. Yet it's still a big chapter. I pray and hope you're in the mood for reading:) Now, about the "secret"... you must know that the secret is NOT the main thing of this fanfic. It's actually just a plot device to move the story further. Move it to where most of the "action" takes place. Something will happen, as a direct result of the unveiling of the secret. Just needed to make that clear before you read this chapter. So that you don't try to race to where the secret is revealed. You'll eventually find that it isn't something "extreme" or out of the ordinary. The extreme part comes later in the other chapters to come... at least I hope it does! I will give you enough time to read before the next chapter shows up (no, not 3 years... but maybe in a few months, it all depends if I have time to write anything). Thanks and please read on... _

_** Chapter III: A Secret Revealed... (Part One)  
**_

Annie adjusted the temperature of their bedroom and yet the forehead of her younger sister was still noticeably permeated with perspiration. She then concluded that the heat wasn't really a factor. It was what was going on inside Alex's head that was causing the heavy sweating.

She sat beside her sister on the bed and proceeded to kindly remove the hat that was probably only worsening Alex's condition. She then grabbed one of Alex's hands and became aware that it was very cold and damp with sweat.

"Alex... if you don't feel like talking about this..."

Those very words suddenly made Annie realize that she was becoming afraid of the whole situation. Her sister was in apparent mental pain and the secret that she was holding was causing it. Annie felt that she could end that pain if she only resisted her desperate need to find out the truth. Her scientific approach to everything in life was making her take that path. The road towards uncovering Alex's terrible secret. It was a conduct difficult to repress. And yet there was fear slowly creeping up on her, making her have second thoughts.

Somehow, Alex sensed Annie's internal conflict and turned her head to look directly into her eyes and she tried to reassure her by forcing a smile.

"No, I'm okay... Really! It's just that..."

"What?"

"It's just that... thinking about it... is like turning over a huge stone inside my mind... and discovering many ugly-creepy things underneath...SIGH... it's very scary".

"Maybe if you talk about it, you'll feel much better" Annie's advice sounded sincere. There was no question that there was real affection between the two. As well of the hard fact that Annie had chosen to abolish her fear of the secret and not to repress her customary scientific approach to every single situation.

However, there was just enough fear in Annie's face that made Alex consider taking quite a different approach to revealing her secret.

In fact, she quickly concluded that she was going to do it in the most casual way possible. Even cheerfully if need be. Anything but do it in a grievous manner that would only cause Annie to become even more somber. Yes, she cared about her THAT much.

Alex felt that siting down holding Annie's hand was only going to bring out the weepy girl in her. So she quickly got up and started to pace back and forth around the room. Trying to find the right moment to unload her secret.

"Ummm...okay... listen, I don't remember absolutely everything of what my double did. Heck, I hardly remember what I did yesterday! And, uh..."

"Yes?"

"Well, at first my double was mostly inclined in doing silly and stupid things to people. And she did it just to amuse herself. I think about what she did and some of it seems almost funny to me. Like what she did to Kelly Phillips."

"What did she do?"

"Nothing really. Nothing that a bath and a quick wardrobe change could not fix. She had it coming to her, if you asked me."

"I'm sure she did. But that's not what you wanted to tell me... is it?"

"N-no... okay, d-do you remember Nathan?"

Annie shook her head. "Nathan? No, who is he?"

"Her mother used to give us clarinet and piano lessons when we were little"

"Oh, he's the son of Mrs. Dean? I barely remember him. He never came out of his room when I went for lessons. What about him?"

"Well, Nathan joined our video class last semester and everybody started making fun of him. Calling him "Creeper" and whatnot. Louis was especially inclined in humiliating him. And I came to feel sorry for him".

"I know, you can be so sentimental sometimes"

"Er...yeah".

Walking around so much made Alex a bit tired, so she sat on the opposite bed that was facing Annie.

"Anyway, Nathan made a video where I was the subject. I guess he wanted to make a homage about me but it totally came out all wrong. I was very angry, and yelled at him. That was before I understood what his real intentions were. So to make it up to him, I later made Louis help me produce a video about Nathan. A video highlighting his talents and strong points".

At this point of the conversation, Alex walked over to Annie and got on her knees and grabbed Annie's hands to emphasize what she was going to say next.

"Annie, the video was so good that all those in class who saw it, including Mr. Carrington, applauded and cheered. Nathan was so happy. And so was I. A classmate even asked Nathan to give her piano lessons!"

"Humm, great. And all this has to do with your secret...how again?" Annie was growing inpatient.

Alex's face grew somber.

"I-I... I never actually forgave Nathan for what he did to me. I didn't consciously knew that until that day...when my double was wreaking havoc on Paradise Valley".

Alex got up from the floor and retreated to a dark corner of the room. The sun had already set behind the hills and darkness had set in.

Suddenly and through the window, a blinding ray of light hit the ceiling for a brief second. It came from the headlights of a car moving outside on the street. It distracted Alex a little, but only for a moment.

Annie made a quick move to peek down through the window. Just as quick, she returned to her original position on the bed. It wasn't their parents but only a neighbour's car. Alex continued speaking:

"My twin, she was walking by his house... and Nathan was on his front lawn. He was dressed-up as some... as some science fiction character or something. Apparently he likes to dress up in costume for some reason. And... and as soon as my double saw him, she became angry. Very angry"

There was a short pause. Alex had smiled a little when she mentioned the part of Nathan wearing costumes. But she had trouble keeping that smile when she commented on her evil-twin's reaction upon seeing him.

"Why was she angry?... Alex?... Are you listening to me?"

Alex's thoughts had frozen her for a few seconds. Her sister's voice was quite audible, but Alex's mind had not decoded their meaning at all. So she turned to Annie and asked:

"W-what?"

"Why was she angry?... your double."

"Oh... she was angry because...because Nathan..."

Alex stopped speaking and instead she came walking out of the corner that had almost enveloped her completely in shadow. She presently sat down on the bed facing Annie and tried to polish her answer in advance, so that her sister could understand the truth just as well as she did.

"Annie, you know how they say that when someone embarrasses you...it's your ego that get's hurt?"

"Yes."

"Well, I believe my double was my ego".

"Yeah... I guess she was. An alter-ego. I agree."

"So when she saw Nathan, she was looking at someone who had caused her.. that is, my ego... great pain and grief. All those negative feelings of resentment that I felt toward Nathan and that I had successfully pushed aside, were present again at that moment, on that day. Like if they were never gone at all".

Annie was following Alex's logic on that scenario. "Uh-huh. And how could they. Since your double basically was filled with all your extremely negative emotions. And apparently those negative feelings toward Nathan were still alive within her".

Alex replied with a soft monotone voice. Her lips moved as she spoke, but her eyes were totally lost in her inner thoughts. Trying to capture all of those images running fast inside her head.

"Yes, they were still there. That was a discovery that still bothers me to this day. I guess it is awfully hard to forgive... for real, anyway."

There was a pause in the dialogue.

Alex decided to use it as an opportunity to excuse herself to fetch a glass of water. Her throat was dry and her voice was becoming raspy. Plus she had lost a lot of the precious liquid through her perspiration. She felt famished and a little queasy.

So off she headed to the kitchen, turning a few corridor lamps as she went. The darkness in the house was creeping her out.

Meanwhile, Annie was left there trying to figure things out based on the information she was just given, but it only made her more confused. However, her sister's brief absence was just enough to allow her to formulate an extensive prosecution. And so it was that once Alex returned, Annie went on the attack:

"Alright Alex. Let us do a recount of what we have discussed here. You mentioned that at first she was pretty much content in simply annoying people. But that was after the fact that she nearly killed you in the construction site".

"You just mentioned that she was directing her anger at Nathan" Annie continued. "Since she had no moral barriers, it would be a no brainer that lashing out at him would be logical at that point. Yet, I know that Nathan has to be still in one piece or else her mother would've informed mom and dad about it. And you would possibly be in some sort of trouble by now if that wasn't the case".

"Now, are you telling me that what happened between Nathan and your double is still a lot more disturbing than what we both already know she did on that day? Like for example, trying to kill us all by day's end?"

"Yes, Annie. It was. But let's get some facts straight" Alex took a deep breath as she prepared to give her reply. "My double only intended to trap me inside the construction site, not kill me. The explosion was not something she planned and when she became aware of it, she knew that blowing me to bits in my liquid form would not kill me. But as you know, fire can cause me pain even as a puddle so I tried to escape. She expected me to eventually return to the house at some point. That is why she had messed with the pluming to make sure that she could trap me again if I ever decided to use them".

"Ah! But she did wanted to kill you when that precise thing happened. Don't deny it"

"Perhaps..."

"No! Not perhaps! She wanted to do away with you. If Ray had not intervened when he did, you wouldn't be here talking to me now!"

"O-kay!"

Annie was presently looking at Alex with amazement.

"Look at you. You sound so... defensive. Like if you're trying to make excuses for her."

"I am certainly not! I just don't believe that she was capable of killing anybody. Because she was part of me, ok? I'm not a murderer. It's not in me to do something like that"

"Well don't be so sure, Alex. Every human being is capable of murder. Research among apes and mammals has determined that..."

"Aw, c'mon Annie! Are you an expert on that too? I hate it when you turn into _Miss Academic _on me like that!"

Annie gave out a very nasal sigh. She placed her fingers on her temples and noticed that she was also sweating. Things were moving toward a heated argument. She needed to cool things down and get with the program.

"Alright then...let's go back to Nathan. Your double obviously didn't killed him, so what happened to him?"

Alex muffled a laugh as she crossed her arms looking at the ceiling. In her mind she questioned if Annie really cared about Nathan.

"Well?" Annie waited for a reply.

"And by the way Annie, I though that what you really wanted to know is how she used my powers. "

"At first yeah, but then you stonewalled on me and my attention was diverted to this secret of yours."

"Yes... my secret"

Alex sat on the bed facing Annie. Her moist eyes were closed and she was biting her lower lip. After a few moments, she managed to relax a bit before speaking once more.

"My double... she considered the situation on that day...and, uh..."

Annie looked up her hesitation and tried to probed her onward with a nod of her head.

Alex continued after briefly clearing her throat

"...and she came to the conclusion that revenge would be a good option to take."

"What?"

"Revenge, Annie! My double took revenge on Nathan."

The way Alex spoke those words gave Annie goosebumps. The tone of voice was not Alex's... yet it was very familiar to her. It was a cold voice that had stripped itself of any emotions.

"Alright..." Annie gulped. "Did she caused Nathan physical any harm?"

Alex's response was barely audible. "No... well, not really... okay, she did used her powers on him and...s-she did abused him in a way."

"Alex, you better tell me what she did to Nathan. You're driving me nuts!"

The younger sibling stared directly at the older one.

"This isn't easy for me, Annie"

"Well I apologize, but if you..."

"If only you could understand..." Alex interrupted "...how frightened I've been. Frightened of the shadows that have lurked in my mind since that day!"

Annie was silent. Now she sensed intense emotions behind her sister's words. Alex was holding her head with her hands. Her long hair covering her hands and face.

"T-those horrible memories tormenting me in my dreams... in vain I tried to... purge myself of them! "

She lifted her head, with tears in her eyes, and added:

"Annie, now I know that these memories cannot be pushed back again into a corner of my mind. I know it for sure. And that's why I'm scared!"

"Scared? But why? It is good that you're speaking about all this. It will only help you to vent it out. Let it all out!"

"No Annie!" Alex's muscles were very tense. "You don't know what this is doing to me!"

"Yes I do! This is very difficult for you now, but the way you feel is quite normal. You should be feeling all stressed out and crummy. It's all right!".

Alex was looking down at the floor. Her eyes could not be seen but it was obvious that she was in tears. A few of them started to fall down on the rug.

Annie sat next to her sister and placed an arm around her.

"Alex. You must tell me the rest of the story. It's obvious that you cannot hold on to this secret by yourself".

Alex was still looking at the floor.

"Alex?"

"I-I never did anything meaningful in my life... never won awards or stood out in anything"

"Why are you saying that?"

"Because it's the truth!" Alex clenched her trembling hands. They then slowly transformed into fists as she started to speak again "And... because it has a lot to do with my pain!"

Annie was holding her breath at that point of the conversation.

"I was so proud of Nathan... when he gained so much respect and admiration by way of the video we made of him. I was also... very, very proud of myself".

Alex stood up holding her arms and keeping her head down. She then walked over to the window and tried to find something to rest her hazel eyes on. But there was nothing but darkness. A moon-less night.

Alex continued.

"After overcoming my resentment toward Nathan and creating something positive out of the situation, I felt that my existence was worth something. Not having done anything really special or meaningful in my entire life... helping him the way Louis and I did..."

Alex was having a hard time overcoming her emotions. Annie sensed it, she got up from the bed and placed a comforting hand on her back.

"...it was an accomplishment that meant the whole world to me!"

Annie could almost see where everything was going. Her mind was working it all out. But she decided to keep quiet about it.

"But on that day, my double managed to destroy that very accomplishment. For the sake of her revenge. There was so much resentment in her... so much... hate!"

Annie, not really knowing if it was because she was cold or just scared, embraced her sister with her arms, from the back. She tried to speak a word of comfort to Alex, but her jaw was trembling and no audible words came out.

"She studied Nathan" Alex went on. Her mind had totally warped to the past. It was like she was hypnotised and she spoke like a hypnotised person. Like if she was possessed.

"My double was trying to find some weakness that could demolish him completely. Attacking him with her powers wouldn't be enough. She knew that he was an emotional person. That was why he was so introverted. Nathan was in fact, a bundle of nerves. A sensitive soul... once she figured that out, she went on the attack".

"She then walked toward him slowly... in her eyes, Nathan looked very foolish pretending to be some big-wheel superhero. Prancing on his lawn...battling an invisible enemy".

"But just then, she stopped walking. She realised something just at that very moment. How could she hurt him emotionally? He obviously wasn't ashamed to make a total fool of himself in public...he had made himself practically invulnerable. He was living in a different world from ours. That world he created was protecting him from harm."

"It was then that fate had a hand in deciding what she would do... The invisible enemy Nathan was fighting, was actually a real living thing. His dog. And it was wearing a costume specially made for him. Nathan obviously considered the dog his best friend...that gave my double an idea... SIGH... a horrible idea!".

**Next chapter: A Secret Revealed (part 2)! **I'm sorry that I had to make this chapter a two part chapter, but it just got too long and I still need to work on some details of the second part of this chapter... so c'ya real soon!


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